The rear brakes on the Spectra will always engage less than the front brakes. If you have to push hard on the brake pedal then you probably have air in the brake lines from the last brake pad replacement. The brakes need to be bled with this method: Use 1/8 inch 2 foot long hose from parts store and attach from bleeder valve ball on the brake caliper to a bottle partially filled with brake fluid. End of hose should be submerged in bottle. With second person holding brake pedal to floor, slowly turn bleeder valve counter clockwise (loosen tiny bit) with wrench and watch for dirty brake fluid to create bubbles in the bottle. When bubbles start, quickly tighten bleeder valve back to tight. Second person lifts foot while valve is tight and then pushes pedal to floor again and THEN you again open bleeder valve slowly turning counter clockwise and watch for bubbles. Repeat until no more bubbles can be created in the bottle where the hose is submerged. Move to next caliper and repeat. For a firm brake pedal you will need to repeat this on all four calipers. My 2003 Kia's rear brake pads "fell apart" and never wore out in 190000 miles because they do not get used. The braking power is primarily in the front disk brakes on this model. Removing and replacing the rear drum brake linings did not even require me to bleed the brake lines. They weren't that tight before or after the replacement procedure.
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